Sewing-machine take-up



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. F. MGKENNEY.

SEWING MACHINE TAKE-UP. No. 403,951. Patented May 28, 1889.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR Z V BY 1' AM 3 MW ATTORNEY.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets$heet 2.. J. F. MOKENNEY.

SEWING MACHINE TAKE-UP. N0. 4(l3,951. Patented May 28, 1889.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

j. a. an 6 W- BY Crib/a /3.V(LW

I ATTORNEY U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. FREEMAN MOKENNEY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

SEWING-MACHINE TAKE-UP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 403,951, dated May 28,1889. Application filed August 30, 1836- Serial No. 212,168. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J FREEMAN MoKENNEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Sewing-Machine Take-Ups, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates toan improved takeup for sewing-machines. Theconstruction of the parts which co-operate to accomplish the desiredresult of taking up the slack thread will be described in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, several forms ofcarrying the invention into effect.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the arm, needle-bar, and work-plate ofa sewing-machine, showing an application of the take-up. Fig. 2 is acentral vertical section showing the needle-bar and take-up. Fig. 3 is afront View of the sewing-machine arm, showing the takeup and theposition of the thread. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the head,showing the operating mechanism. Figs. 5 and 6 are views of the take-upplate, and serve to aid a description of the different positions of thethread at different points of stroke of the needle-bar. Figs. 7 and Sare two views showing a modification of the take-up, the changeconsisting in a reversal of the position and movement of the parts shownin Figs. 1 to 6.

.- Figs. 9 and 10 are two views showing another modification of thetake-up, (the parts operating the same as those shown in Figs. 1 to 6,)the change consisting in dispensing with the slot. in the head andhaving the thread-eyes attached to a downwardly-depending arm.

The letter -A designates the overhanging arm of a sewing-machine; A, theneedle-bar head at the end of said arm; 13, the needlebar, which hasbearing and vertical movement in the arm; 0, the needle; D, theworkplate; D, the presser-bar; E, the cam-plate on the needle-bar; F,the crank-wheel which acts on the said cam-plate, and F the shaft onwhich the crank-wheel is mounted. All of these parts are of the usual orwell-known construction, and are here shown merely to aid in arriving atan understanding of the invention.

The improved take-up consists, essentially, of two parts: first, athin-plate of suitable forks k reach their lowest position.

material having the contour of one edge shaped to form a special curve,or instead of the thin plate an equivalent device would be a wire bentto produce the desired curve; and, second, an arm forked or bifurcated,and each fork provided with a thread-eye and arranged so that each ofthe two forks should take position on an opposite side of the saidcurved plate or wire. Instead of an arm with two forks, two separatearms may be used, and one of said parts be stationary, While the otheris movable.

The improved take-up comprises, as stated, two parts, one of which isthe plate G, having at the top and front an outwardly-curved edge, h,which is substantially the arc of a circle. This plate is broadest atthat part, h, which is in a horizontal line drawn from a point, 2, whichis concentric with said are of a circle. Below the broadest part, h, theplate has an inward curve, 713, which extends down to the narrowestpart, k The other part of the take-up is the arm I, with the twothread-eye forks is, one of which is on each side of the plate. The eyesare designated by the letter Z. The front face of the head A in Figs. 1to 4 has a vertical slot, m. The arm I, having the two forks 7c, isattached in any suitable manner to the movable needlebar B, and the twoforks project through the said slot at in the front of the head.

The plate G is secured in a vertical position to the front of the headA, and projects therefrom edgewise and extends lengthwise of the slot inthe head, and is between the said two thread-eye forks 70. A stationarythread-eye, a, is located at a suitable position. In this instance it ison the face of the head near the point whereat the vertically-movableThe thread a passes through the stationary eye a, then through the eyeZof each fork, and crosswise of the curved edge of'the plate which isbetween the two forks, and thence to the eye of the needle 0. While theposition of the stationary thread-eye a may be varied on thesewing-machine head, this variation must be within certain definedlimits. It is essential to the proper and best action of the take-upthat this stationary thread-eye should never be located above the planeof the extreme downward limit of travel of the movable or below saidlimit.

thread-eyes carried by the needle-bar; but it may belocated either atsaid downward limit The thread passing over the take-up plate shouldnever pass below the stationary thread-eye, since it is essential thatduring the upward movement of the thread-eyes on the needle-bar theslack in the? thread should be taken upv by the action of the take-upplate, and this can only be ac--, complished by having the stationarythread eye or thread-guide at or below the lower limit of travel of thethread-eyes on the nee-, die-bar, since otherwise there would be slackthread between the stationary eye and the movable thread-eyes during thefirst portion of the upward movement of the needle-bar, which wouldprevent the proper operation of the take-up. By this arrangeinent'thetwo forks-7t, throughwhich the threadpasses, are.

movable, and the plate with the curved edge ,isstationary. The relativeposition of these two parts, however, may be reversed-th at is,

the forks maybe stationary and the plate.

movable, as in Figs-7 and 8.

In the present instance the thread-eye forks 1c of the take-up I areshown attached di-: rectly to the needle-bar; but inasmuch'as the'camrpl ate E, fixed on' the needle-bar, is movablegpart, it is obviousthat the-thread-v eye forks maybe attached to the said camplate andproject therefrom-at each side of theneedle-bar.

, The distinguishing feature of this iinven: tion is'in theplate havingat thetop and front the special outward curve, h,forming substantiallythe arc of a circle. In the descent: of the needle-bar the thread-eyeforks k,- from; thepoint 1, (see Fig. 5,) keep the thread drawn tautover the plate-edge at the top curvejh, and this taut conditioncontinues until the thread-eyes pass below the point 2, which'isconcentric with the saidtopcurve, at which time the point of theneedlewill have pene-- 'tratedthe material to be sewed. Uptothis. timethethread over'the top curved edgehas been gradually slipping downaround the curve; but all the while the thread hasbeen held up, andthereby the formation'in-it of a loop'which would interfere with theneedle has been .prevented. WVhen the thread-eye forks Z in the downwardmovement reachthe inwardcurve, h at the point 3, the thread has becomeslack'and-at this moment isjin condition for the shuttle to pass betweenit and the needle. Uponthe needle-banwith the eyes at the point 4:,(see-Fig. 6) beginning to ascend after the shuttle has passed the slack--thread is takenup by the thread-eyes (beginning at the point 5) drawingthe thread up in contact with the inward curve, b and thistakingup'continues untiljthethread on the plate-edge passes thebroadest-part, h--say,

atthepoint 6--at which time, also, the shuttle-has completed itsforwardmovement and the stitch is being drawn to its full tension. InFigsu7 and8 the two takeup parts-=to *wit, the special-shaped plate G and the twothread-eye forks lo, one .011 each, side of the plateare reversed. Theplate G has the outwardly-curved edges h, which forms the arc of acircle at the bottom instead of the top, and instead of beingstationary, as in Figs. 1 to 4, it is attached to the needle-bar B andis therefore movable. On the other hand, the two forks k are secured tothe front of the head A, and are therefore stationary. The shape of theplate G in this case being the same asbefore described, the result isthe same. The threading is a little different. Here the thread a'passesthrough a hole, q, in'the top of the needle-bar and then down throughthe thread-eyes Z.

Iii Figs. 9 and 10 the plate Gris stationary and the thread-eye forks 7care movable-same as in Figs. 1 to 4. Thereisno slotjin the front face ofthehead. This is rendered-unnecessary-because each thread-eye Zis atthelower extremity ofa downwardly-depending arm, k, whose upper end, 7c isattached to the needle-bar B at a point abovehead A. The operation isthe same as the construction shown in Figs. 1 to-i.

Having described my invention,I claim and desire tosecure by LettersPatent of the United States-- 1. In a sewing-machine embracing aheadhaving a front face provided with a vertical slot, 'm, a needle-bar, anda shuttle,the' combination therewith of the take-up, consisting of twoforks, k, attached totheneedle-bar and each provided with a'threadeye,"and a plate, G, having-at the top and frontanoutwardly-curved edge, h, forming, substantially, the are of' a circlewhose lower portion terminates at the broadest part' of thepl-at'e-andhaving below said broadest part an inward curve, 72. saidrplateextending lengthwise of the vertical slot and having positionbetween thesaid two thread-eye forks, as set'forth.

2. Ina sewing-machine, the combination, with-the needle-bar and shuttle,of a take-up, one part thereof consisting of two forks, k,

each provided with a thread-eye, and another part consisting of a;plate,G,having*at one end a front outwardly-curved edgeyh, forming,substantially, the are of a circle; one portion 'of which terminates atthe broadest part of the plate andhaving'aninward curve-7L said plateextending vertically-and-having position between the said two thread-eyeforks,one of saidparts being movable-and the other stationary, as setforth.

3. In-a 'sewing-machine,the stitch-forming mechanism thereof, in"combination with a take-up, one part'thereof consisting of *twothread-eyes and another part consisting of a plate between said threa'deyes, said :plate having a cam-shaped outer edge curving inwardly-bothabove and below its broadest part, one ,of said parts being movableandthe other stationary, substantially as set forth.

4. Ina sewing-machine, the stitch-forming mechanism thereof, in"combination with a take-up, onepart thereof consisting'of 'twothread-eyes and another part consisting of a plate having at one end anoutwardly-curved inclined edge, forming, substantially, the arc of acircle, one portion of which terminates at the broadest part of theplate and having an inward curve, said plate extending vertically andhaving position between the said threadeyes, one of the said parts beingmovable and the other stationary, substantially as set forth.

5. In a sewing-machine, the head and stitchforming mechanism thereof,the needle-bar of said stitch-forming mechanism, and two thread-eyescarried by said needlebar, in combination with a stationary take-upplate located vertically between said thread-eyes, said plate having itsouter edge curved or camshaped, the upper portion of said edge beingcurved downwardly and outwardly and terminating at the broadest part ofsaid plate, and the lower portion of said edge curving from the broadestpart of the plate downwardly and inwardly, substantially as set forth.

6. In a sewing-machine, the head and stitchforming mechanism thereof,the needle-bar of said stitch-forming mechanism, and a take-upconsisting of two thread-eyes carried by said needle-bar and of astationary plate extending vertically between said thread-eyes, saidplate having its outer edge cam-shaped and curving inwardly both aboveand below its broadest part, in combination with a stationary thread-eyeon the sewing-machine head, through which the thread passes beforepassing through said thread-eyes on the needlebar, said stationarythread-eye being located at 01' below the extreme downward limit oftravel of said thread-eyes on the needle-bar, substantially as setforth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 40 the presence of twowitnesses.

J. FREEMAN MCKENNEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN E. MoRRIs, bro. '1. MADDOX.

